


Things I Can Believe In

by oriolegirl



Series: Major Lorne, Son of Captain Jack [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Torchwood
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-02
Updated: 2008-08-02
Packaged: 2017-10-02 17:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oriolegirl/pseuds/oriolegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto Jones likes to think he's an expert on Jack Harkness...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things I Can Believe In

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion to ["Things I Can Depend On"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9016) and probably won't make much sense unless you've read that.  
> Spoilers for SGA "The Return" &amp; "Sunday" and TW "Exit Wounds"

You always say the things I can believe in  
Always say the things I wanna hear  
I believe them all - The stories short and tall  
I believe you, ya I believe you  
\- Bryan Adams, "Broken Wings"

  


Ianto Jones was a curious sort; perhaps, he was willing to admit, in all senses of the word. It was his curiosity that led him to find out about all manner of things and gave him the reputation for knowing everything.

Not long after he joined Torchwood in London, Ianto began hearing rumors about Captain Jack Harkness who was in charge of Torchwood Three in Cardiff. He was intrigued enough, especially when he found out Yvonne Hartman had nothing but contempt for him, to scour the archives for any and all information to be found.

Ianto liked to think he was an expert on Jack Harkness. It takes less than a year of working for the man for Ianto to discover he's wrong.

~*~

That Jack has a mobile does not come as a surprise to Ianto. He's seen Jack using it before. That anyone who would ring Jack could elicit such joy and affection is something of a surprise. Ianto hadn't thought that Jack really knew anyone who wasn't related in some way to Torchwood.

Ianto is burning with curiosity, although he would deny it with his last breath. So he's very glad that Gwen has no such compunctions. As Jack leaves the conference room to continue the call in private (away from the team, away from him), she asks, "So who's this Evan?"

"American bloke," Owen answers. "Jack talks to him every now and then."

"Have you ever met him?"

"Don't think he's ever been to Cardiff. Jack does visit America once or twice a year, though." Owen leers.

Gwen looks slightly scandalized at the suggestion that Jack might have a part-time lover in another country. Ianto isn't sure that's the case. Jack has plenty of options in Cardiff, not to mention within Torchwood Three, that he doesn't need someone in America.

Ianto begins to revise that opinion the next morning.

When the door of the tourist information center opens, Ianto looks up from the paperwork he's sorting. A rather bedraggled looking man is standing in front of the desk, a garment bag draped over one arm. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Captain Jack Harkness." He looks around, slightly bewildered. "This is the address I was given."

Ianto assesses him quickly before touching his earpiece. "Sir? There's someone to see you."

He's barely finished speaking before Jack is bounding from the entrance to the Hub and calling out, "Evan!"

The man attempts a smile. "You have a tourist office for a front?"

"Hey, don't knock it. It works." Jack puts his hands on the man's shoulders and frowns. "Is everything alright?"

Evan leans forward until his head is resting against Jack's chest. "Not really."

Ianto understands why Evan is there. He certainly looks like he could use some comforting and, as Ianto knows only too well, Jack excels at providing comfort.

Ianto watches them a bit longer, watches how they interact, their body language and their silent communication, and he suddenly wonders if he wasn't mistaken. Perhaps Jack does have a part-time lover in America, after all.

He slots that information into the mental file labelled "Captain Jack Harkness" and, he pretends to himself, doesn't think of it again.

~*~

Ianto finds the envelope precisely four weeks after Jack leaves. (Leaves, not disappears, because it didn't take them long to figure out that Jack had gone of his own accord.) When Ianto retreats to Jack's office to work on the monthly financial report, the envelope is sitting in the top right corner of Jack's desk where nothing had been that morning. Carefully picking it up, Ianto finds a note clipped to it.

_If I'm gone more than a month, please make sure this gets sent. - Jack Harkness_

Not for the first time, Ianto silently curses Jack and his reluctance to use e-mail for anything other than sending reports to London and harassing his team. It's really not that difficult to set a time-delayed message. On the other hand, this is obviously important enough that Jack actually used the word 'please'.

Curious as to who would merit such care, Ianto removes the clipped-on note to look at the address on the envelope. Major Evan Lorne with an American military address. Obviously this is the Evan who visited a few weeks before and elicited such excitement from Jack.

Ianto frowns and puts the envelope in his suit pocket. He'll drop it in the post when he leaves for dinner. He is quite sure that he's put out simply because Jack is always making work for him — even when the man is who knows where. It has nothing to do with jealousy. Nothing at all.

~*~

Ianto is surprised when he opens his flat's door to find Evan standing there. Considering Evan appeared in Cardiff only the day before, Ianto rather thought he'd be locked up with Jack somewhere. (No, he's not resentful at all. Not that he's actually convinced himself of that.) He's not sure what to think when Evan announces, "I'm here to see you."

Ianto moves out of the doorway and gestures Evan in, leading the way to the kitchen.

"Coffee?" Ianto asks.

"That would be great. I've heard a lot about your mad coffee skills," Evan says, smiling as he sits down. "So, you and Jack, huh?"

Ianto pauses for the briefest of moments in his preparations before replying, "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. I think it's great."

He places a mug in front of Evan before sitting down himself. Evan takes an appreciative sip then says, "I see Jack's moving in."

Ianto cocks his head, not sure how he knew, especially as Ianto isn't sure Jack himself has figured that out.

"The painting over the fireplace," Evan explains. "It's the first one I did after my mother died."

Ianto frowns; he's not sure what to make of this revelation. When Jack had asked if he could hang a painting over the fireplace, Ianto had shrugged and agreed because he frankly didn't care that much.

"He hasn't told you about me, has he?" Evan sighs. After running his finger around the rim of his mug, he seems to come to a decision and says, "You've probably noticed that Jack doesn't talk much about himself — not the important things. So I'm going to tell you this and —"

Ianto understands that Jack has secrets, secrets he will never tell Ianto. Ianto has convinced himself he's ok with that. So he interrupts. "If he doesn't want me to know, then —"

"No, see, I think he does. He just doesn't know how to do it because it's not something you just blurt out, especially when you're involved with someone. Anyway, it's my thing to tell, too."

"Alright," Ianto acquiesces.

Evan glances at him and says, "Jack's my father."

Ianto sinks back in his chair in shock. Whatever he might have been expecting, it certainly wasn't this.

He is aware that Jack comes in, but most of his attention is turned to digesting this revelation and reconfiguring his mental image of Captain Jack Harkness. To give himself more time to decide how — or even if — to confront Jack, he sends him after Evan. After his son. Good lord. Jack has a son. A son who is, by all appearances, older than Ianto himself.

When he asks Jack to come into the living room, Ianto is careful to sit in a chair, to keep some distance between them, because he is still off-balance.

Somehow he's not surprised when his interrogation results in him taking Jack into his arms and reassuring him that he's not leaving. Jack is contrary like that.

~*~

Ianto is ready to snap. It's hard enough attempting to maintain normal operations with only the three of them. However, there are also officials of all sorts calling to demand assistance with various things, most of which have nothing to do with the clean up and rebuilding of Cardiff. Then there's Jack, who won't go anywhere unless Ianto, Gwen, or the both of them go with him.

Only a few days after the devastation reigns down on them, Ianto comes to a decision. He knows neither Gwen nor Jack would allow him to do what he's about to do, so he comes up with an excuse for Gwen to take Jack off to a rooftop for air. Once they've gone, he pulls out the piece of paper Evan had given him the last time he was in Cardiff and places a call to General Jack O'Neill. Ianto fears he wasn't as polite as he could have been, but he's exhausted and grieving and in dire need of help.

Despite Evan's promise that he would come if at all possible and General O'Neill's assurances that he would arrange it, Ianto is still a little surprised when he looks up from his terminal to find Evan and another man materializing in the Hub. "You came," he says, not quite believing what he's seeing.

Evan's sudden appearance seems to be the final straw for Jack who is rendered incapable of doing anything other than stare at Evan in shock. It's an indication of just how badly Jack is doing because Jack always has something to say.

Ianto has, of course, prepared instructions for just about every situation that might arise and he feels confident that the Hub will be in good hands for the next several hours. Evan, he has learned, is very capable and trustworthy, which is only to be expected of someone who is Jack's son.

Evan's boyfriend disappears into the hothouse and, as Evan deals with the ringing phone, Ianto gathers up Jack and steers him out of the Hub.

"Ianto," Jack says when they emerge onto the Plass, finally shaking off his stupor, "where are we going?"

"I had thought we'd go back to the flat and go to bed. If that suits?" Ianto knows it's the right decision when Jack doesn't even attempt to leer at him, simply takes his hand and lets himself be led away.

~*~

Ianto Jones may not be the foremost authority on Captain Jack Harkness, but he knows more than most and though his curiosity will never be truly satisfied, what he does know is enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to my beta [](http://silver-cyanne.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://silver-cyanne.livejournal.com/)**silver_cyanne**.


End file.
